Another Challenge...

I had a session with my girl's group yesterday. During the summer, I meet with them twice a week instead of once. There is a new girl in my group, and she is broken. She has been through so much at such a young age. I just hope that I can help her.

Her father died when she was 5 years old, and her mother never bounced back, so this poor child was left to suffer. Since then, her mother has been in and out of rehab and jail, and she has been in and out of foster care. Her mother has even traded her for drugs on several occasions. She is in the process of being adopted by her aunt. We go to the same church. Her aunt heard about the program and asked if there was any way that I could help her niece. She is strong willed, and very smart. She just doesn't know how to express herself. For her, being tough has been her outlet. She is getting into all kinds of trouble. It is up to me to find out what lies beneath it all, and find a way to help her express it in a positive way. I know this will be challenging, but if it saves her, then it is worth it.

I know that I can't save the world, and I'm not trying to, but I can help these girls...one by one, I am doing my part. I am taking her out to lunch today. She has never been to a restaurant. In the short time I have known her, she has opened up to me a lot. I think the problem with her is, she doesn't care about the world because she has never had anyone to care about her. She sees being smart as a sign of weakness, so she hides it from the world. The first thing I must do is build a line of trust. She is starting to trust me, but I have to show her that I trust her before she will trust me completely. This is a very delicate process that has to be handled with care because it can either make or break our relationship. We have a long way to go, but I know she'll be just fine.

Every time I help one of these girls, I know what lies ahead. It gets frustrating at times... When they first come in, they are disrespectful, angry , and just don't care. They will say anything to you. The beauty in the whole situation is the outcome of all my hard work. I don't get paid for what I do, the reward of their success means so much more to me and no monetary value can be placed on that. I get my happiness when they have reached a happy point in their lives...In my own way, I am bringing them out of darkness.

It's crazy how I can go from fighting one day, to trying to stop the girls from fighting the next...But I guess that's what makes me successful with them...

No questions today...Just had to let that out...